The Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communication Commission the apex regulator of the telecommunication industry in the country recently engaged the telecoms stakeholders especially the consumers in the first virtual Consumers’ Parliament, the first ever. The EVC understanding of the importance of consumers in the industry and what it means to have them satisfied speaks volume of his administration thrust. The Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) provides high-level engagement and interactions with consumers and other stakeholders in the telecommunications industry
In his opening remark, he welcomed the stakeholders and key industry players to the first ever virtual edition. In his words the EVC said “It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this important occasion, being the first-ever virtual edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission taking place here at the Commission’s Conference Room, Maitama, Abuja.”
“This event is organized, taking into consideration, the dynamics of the global pandemic and the directives from the Federal Government on social distancing and other measures thereof put in place to curb the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic”, he added.
In line with the Covid 19 and Social Distancing directives, the EVC said that the virtual meeting is in place of the customary face-to-face engagement in previous Parliaments in the past, is a testament to rapid change to our lifestyle occasioned by the Covid-19 Pandemic. This is making telecommunications and indeed ICT the major driver of growth in every sector now.
He posited that “Ladies and gentlemen, the theme of today’s event: “Impact of Covid-19 on Telecoms Service Delivery” is timely and could not have come at a better time than now. The focus of this parliament also provides us with an opportunity as industry stakeholders, to have a quick look at how the pandemic is impacting our service delivery in the telecommunication industry, which currently provides the digital platform for the economy to remain afloat.”
Adding that “According to a report released by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in May 2020, which examine the impact of the pandemic on the telecoms sector, “Covid-19 virus has presented a stress test for Governments worldwide with the Internet playing a crucial role in keeping critical infrastructure and resources connected and available.”
On the importance of internet, the EVC reiterated that internet and broadband is an enabler and will play a critical role in Covid Pandemic and Post Covid work environment. “Thigh-speed Internet is key to ensuring that hospitals and medical institutions have access to global information and resources necessary to fight the virus. Broadband connectivity is also absolutely crucial for educational institutions and businesses to continue to provide essential services. According to the report the unprecedented global health emergency is tasking mobile networks and digital platforms to the limit, with some telecom operators and platforms reporting demand spikes as high as 800% since the outbreak of the pandemic in their respective countries”, the EVC opined.
The EVC stated that the commission ensured that the quality of service never dwindled or reduced during or after the Covid lockdown. He reassured consumers that the commission is working hard with the industry stakeholders to ensure that QoS remains in line with global standards.
“As we all are aware, telecoms is highly capital intensive and as such, continuous network upgrade and expansion are very key to operators’ ability to deliver top-notch QoS to their consumers. For instance, if operators are not able to expand or they are incapacitated to expand and upgrade their network in the face of spike in traffic, as occasioned by the pandemic, it will definitely have potential grave impact on Quality of Service delivery” NCC Boss treasured.
He Added that “Despite the pandemic and the lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 virus, we on our part have also not relent to ensure that the quality of telecom services is sustained during and post Covid–19 period.”
Some of the critical steps taken by the Commission in conjunction with the supervising Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy towards mitigating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on service delivery by the network operators are:
- The Commission have developed e-platforms where all licensing requests, consumer complaints and base transceiver station (BTS) investigation requests are channeled and also provided designated e-mail addresses to be used for such requests throughout the pandemic period.
- Similarly, the Commission approved and encouraged resource sharing among network operators. These shared resources include fibre optics cables and ancillary resources, the aim is to ensure that there is no destruction to service provision in the event of fibre cut and related incidence.
- The Commission also secured Right of Passage (RoP) for all telecommunications officials and staff for easy movement during the lockdown and movement restriction in order to be able to service their base stations and keep them active to provide services for telecom consumers who increasingly rely on their networks to work from home. In the same vein, the Commission also secured Right of Passage for suppliers that are involved in supplies of fuels, food and other essential services to telecom operators during total lockdown.
- With the intervention of the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, state governors are now aligning their Right of Way charges to N145 as approved by the Federal Economic Council (FEC), reducing below N145 per linear of fibre laid by the operators in their states. Other state governors pegged their RoW charges below the N145 set by the FEC while some state governors have totally waived RoW charges in their states. All these are aimed at encouraging network operators to deploy telecoms/broadband infrastructure faster in their states with a view to deepening digital access. As Covid-19 evolves, a new world order where more activities are conducted online and robust broadband access is central is emerging. In effect, most of the state governors have appreciated the centrality of robust broadband infrastructure as work-from-home measures by government persists.
- The Commission is hopeful that with the reduction in RoW, which will automatically result in reduction in capital expenditure (CAPEX) by the network operators, telecom companies will sooner or later reciprocate the gesture by making their services in particular, data services more affordable to Nigerians.
- You would recall that one of the issues presented to the Honourable Minister when he assumed office is the need to strengthen telecom infrastructure protection. The Honourable Minister acted on this issue speedily by obtaining presidential approval directing Security Agencies to protect ICT and telecom facilities as critical national assets. It is pleasing that this action helped to safeguard telecom infrastructure for the greater role telecom has to play with the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
Umar Danbatta assured Nigerians that the commission is leaving no stone unturned towards ensuring that telecom service providers provide good quality service despite the covid-19 pandemic. He encouraged the Network operators on the importance of improved quality of services/experience for the consumers.
ANTHONY EMEKA NWOSU
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